Swinging alcohol-cup for vapor-burners.



No. 644,673.. Patented Mar. 6, I900. A. KITSON. v SWINGING ALCOHOL CUP FOR VAPOR BURNEBS.

(Application filed June 1, 1899.

(No Model.)

7: NORR]! PETERS do. PumTo-u'rva. WASHINGTON, D; c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR KITSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE KITSON HYDROOARBON HEATING AND INOANDESOENT LIGHTING COM- PANY, OF SAME PLACE AND CHARLESTON, VEST VIRGINIA.

SWINGING ALCOHOL-CUP FOR VAPOR-BURNERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,673, dated March 6, 1900.

Application filed June 1, 1899. Serial No. 718,970- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR KITSON, a sub ject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia,

State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swinging Alcohol-Oups, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to vapor-burning ap- 1o paratus; and more particularly it consists of an improved swinging alcohol-cup for use in starting such apparatus into operation. In the ordinary form of vapor-burning apparatus in which the heat of the burner itself vap- [5 orizes the oil or other fluid hydrocarbon in order to produce the necessary supply of vapor to support combustion it is necessary to have some means for heating the vaporizing tube or chamber in order to produce the ini- 2o tial vaporization of oil to start the apparatus into operation. This is frequently accomplished by means of a small quantity of alcohol held in a cup located near the vaporizingtubo. It is desirable to secure efficient action of such alcohol and produce the necessary heating with the least possible consumption of the somewhat-costly alcohol that the cup should be below the vaporizing-tube and near to it. On the other hand, a cup permanently 0 located below the vaporizing-tube and near enough to it to be above the vapor-burner of course interferes with the transmission of heat from the burner to the vaporizing-tube in the regular operation of the lamp. To

3 5 avoid this latter difficulty and still retain the advantages of a location of the alcohol-cup immediately below the vaporizing-tube while the lamp is starting, I have invented a form of swinging alcohol-cup which can be withdrawn to one side of the tube out of the line of heat transmission from vapor-burner to tube while the lamp is in operation or swung in under the vaporizing-tube when the alcohol-flame is to be used to start the lamp.

The preferred form of apparatus embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a lamp with the parts broken away to show the alcoholcup in position for starting the lamp. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lamp with the alcoholcup in position and the cap of the measuringcup removed, the alternative position of the alcohol-cup being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a detail of the stop.

Throughout the drawings like referencefigures refer to like parts.

While the invention may be applied to any form of vapor-burning apparatus, I have shown a vapor-burning lamp 1, having the horizontal vaporizing-tube 2. The alcoholcup 3 is supported on a pivoted arm 4, pivoted in the casing of the vapor-burning lamp, so as to swing horizontally from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 to the position 6: shown in dotted lines. Preferably this supporting arm is either tubular or troughshaped or otherwise designed so as to have a supply-duct leading to the alcohol-cup, through which alcohol may be introduced from the exterior of the case. Preferably, also, the pivoted end of said arm 4 has a measuring-cup 5 on it, into which the alcohol may be conveniently poured. This measuringcup may have a cap 6, which is removable for the purpose of introducing the alcohol, but which when in position prevents the ac cess of air or dirt to the interior of the lamp through the feeding-duct.

The swinging arm may be pivoted to the casing in any convenient manner; but I have shown two set-nuts 7 and 8 on either side'of the casing of the lamp for accomplishing this purpose. Any convenient form of stop 9 is provided, against which a projection 10 on the pivotal portion of the arm strikes, in order to limit the motion of the swinging cup and stop it exactly under the vaporizingtube 2.

The alcohol-cup may of course be made of 0 any convenient shape, but preferably is made of rectangular horizontal section, as shown, with its longer dimension parallel to the vaporizing-tube.

The mode of operation of my invention is as follows: While the lamp is in normal operation, the alcohol cup is swung to one side, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. When the lamp is to be started up, however, after hav ing been extinguished, the cup is swung into position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 by the operator seizing the measuring-cup 5 or its cap or other projecting portion of the pivot and giving it the desired rotation. The cap 6 is then removed and the regulated quantity of alcohol poured into the measuring-cup 5, from whence it flows through the duct 4 to the cup, which may, if desired, contain a mass of fibrous asbestos 11. The alcohol is then ignited by a match or otherwise and the flame is concentrated immediately upon the vaporizing-tube 2, and the same is quickly heated to the temperature necessary to produce the vaporization of oil, when the same is admitted in the usual way. The alcoholcup is then swung back into position shown in dotted lines, and the heat of the vaporburner then has direct access to the vaporizing-tube and the lamp becomes self-supporting in its action.

It is evident, of course, that various changes could be made in the details of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention so long as the relative arrangement of parts or the principle of operation disclosed is preserved. Other forms of alcohol-cup may be used and other means for pivoting the same to the frame may be substituted. Different forms of measuring-cup and stops might take the place of those illustrated; but all these I consider more changes in form and as not carrying the modified construction without the scope of my in- Vention.

Having therefore described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the supportingframe and vapor-burner, of a vaporizing-tube, and a swinging alcohol-cup supported from the frame, adapted to be swung under the vaporizing-tube or to one side thereof, the supporting-arm for said cup being also a supplyduct, together with a measuringcup mounted at the center of oscillation of said arm and alcohol-cup and discharging into the snpply duct and a removable cap for said alcohol-cup.

2. The combination of the lamp-casing, the vaporizing-tube, the alcohol-cup, the supporting-tube pivoted at one end in the easing, and connected at the other end with the alcohol-cup, and the measuring-cup mounted on the exterior of the casing, discharging into the tube and rotating therewith.

3. The combination with the supportingframe and vapor-burner, of a vaporizing-tube, and a swinging alcohol-cup supported from the frame, adapted to be swung under the vaporizing-tube or to one side thereof, together with a stop so located as to prevent the cup being swung beyond that position, which brings it immediately under the vaporizing-tube.

Signed by me at New York city, New York, this 27th day of May, 1899.

ARTHUR KIlSON.

Witnesses:

LILIAN FOSTER, ERNEST V. PLATT. 

